Rotary engine.



W. F. STANLEY RDTARY ENGINE.

(Applicatian Bled Apr. 10, .1901.)

Patented Aug. 1,1902.4V

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(l0 Model.)

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W. F. STANLEY. l ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application Aled Apr. 10, 1991.) l

No. 707,174.v

(No Model.)

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'. ,STATES WILLIAM FORD STANLEY, oti

ROTARY SOUTH. NORWOOD, ENGLAND.

ENGINE.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,174, dated August 19, 1902.

Application lled April 10, 1901. Serial No. 55,148. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FORD STAN-f LEY, engineer, residing at Cumberlow, South Norwood, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in- Rotary Engines, of which the followingis a specification.

The object of my invention is to construct a rotary engine that shalll haveless' weajpingll parts'than heretofore and-*to piro'vide means for taking up whatever wea-r does takeplace; i

and to carry my invention'into effectl coni struct my improved rotary engine as follows.' In the accompanying drawings, Sheet"v 1,' Figure l is an elevation,'partly i'n` 'secti'on, ari dl Fig. 2, a plan with part offframe andlfly wheel removed, of the complete engine. Sheet 2: Fig. 3 isa sectional plan'through a ct of Figs. l and 4, andFig. 4 is a sectional eleva-- tion through b b of Fig. 3.

Similar letters denote corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

The parts of this engine comprise a clear circular groove or. chamber of angular or pref-- erably of approximately square section A,A

turned out of a casting otfmetal at a'distancev from an axis B', towhichitisconcentric.;Av

The circular groovezot angular l section. is partly covered by a diskj or .angef'around the axis and aange D outside this, placed at such a distance concentrieallyto it that it may leave a narrow circular aperture E into the chamber A, that is formed bythe circular groove of angular section audits disk and flange covers C and D. The Aaxis B ofgthel engine has a clear free Way throughthe center of ilange-cover C and carries l with it an;` upper covering-disk or framed ring F, Which' is iitted to accurately vcover the aperturell, so that it makes the concentric chamber it covers steam or gas tight. This covering. diskFcarries one or more pistons G, attached to it by means of a web or webs H through the aperture E. 'llleipistons G tit the chamber so that 4theycanv move arouudwithin it by the pressure of the steamorothertluid or the explosionogas upon one side of'them. Within the chamber sets of duplex, triplex,` or multiplex valves .lare construcltedfof the number of sets to thepistonsemployed inthe engine. These-valves are formed of light flaps, which meet and close the angular aper- 'pressihg them Lopen.

`tureof the ring-chamber at a iirin'angle. l If *l -the valves employedare duplex, which they will be for small engines, they open into recesses J, laterally into the sides of the ringfchamber A; If they are vtriplex for'large en gines, two open laterally and one into a recessy in the'pafrt farthest from the aperture into t`hfev"ringchamber"; if multiplex, one flap to eachf'ahghlar surface in either case, so as to alleiva'pistony tofp'ass them. Each piston is so formed by curvature of its sides that it presses openl the tw'or more flaps of the valves bya smooth motion, retaining the chamber approximately'steam/[ight during the time it is piston isso formed byits curvature that when its center has passed the iiaps they close, .by means of springs K or otherwise, smoothly by pressure upon the curves of the piston. The steam, gas, or other fluid pressure is admitted intermittently behind the direction of movementof the piston in a manner that the pis-I ton may be propelled by it. This is effected fbyf means of an,` exterior slide-valve or its me- .c'hanifcalequivalenh which is constructed to cutoff pressure 'at' the -time the pistons are passing thevalves, or, in the case of steam, earlier. These exterior slide-valves are'con Astructed as `followsz'A small chamber L is fitted:V between the steam-inletpipe and the Aringgcasing'ofthe'chamber A, and a valve` M mfove's linithisA small chamber or valve-box kover a face on the outside of the ring-casing. ,The movement'offthisgvalve Mby the valverod N opens and closes the aperture O, which The back part of the leads toanother small chamber P under the liringLchamber A, and holes Q lead from this chamber Pinto the ring-chamber A. The lmovement of the Valves is effected by means of cams R upon the covering-disk F, which vfdepress the valves by coming in contact with rollers S. mounted upon the top of the valverod N. This opens the ports to admit steam or other fluid pressure, andwhenthe cam R has rotated a suf'cient-distance to" passthe rollers S the valves are raised, so as to close the ports by means ot'4 springs'T. The exhaust is arranged by making port-holes 1U at the back of the nap-valves in the ring-chamber A.

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These are left open to atmospheric pressure or the minus pressure of a condenser.

When this rotary engine is constructed for vertical motion, as it would be for driving a l ton similarly tapered and having curved sides dynamo, the lower bearing W of the axis of the engine terminates in a cup of oil or other lubricant, which cup is made adjustable for height to compensate for wear of the pistons. In this case the open annular space E between the flanges C and D is closed partially or entirely by the gravity of the covering-disk F` and the fly-wheel V, mounted upon the shaft B, being made sufficiently heavy to overcome thepressure employed,or aspring maybe used in place of gravity.

When the engine is used with the shaft horizontal, the pressure of spring-anges or equivalent means is employed to close the covering-disk F to keep it steam or gas pressure tight.

The approximately square groove or chamber A, which forms a ring-casing, is preferably made very slightly tapered at the sides,

so that any Wear that takes place in the pistons or groove in which they work may be taken up by simply lowering the bearing W of the vertical axis and reducing the top of the sides of the groove, vso that the covers are let down to compensate for the amount of wear that has taken place.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of mysaid invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is l. In combination With a ring-casing having a channel, pivoted flaps extending across said channel from opposite sides and bearing against each other at their adjacent ends,said channel being of tapered cross-section, a pisagainst which the aps work, substantially as described.

2. In combination in a rotary engine,a ringcasing having a channel therein, a piston working in said channel, a covering-plate above the channel connected with the piston and valve mechanism comprising a valve and a cam R attached to the covering-plate and arranged to operate the valve, substantially as described.

3. In combination,aring-shaped casinghavinga channel therein, a piston in said channel, a shaft extending down through the casing, means for connecting the shaft with the piston extending down into the channel of the ringshaped casing and an adjustable bearing for the lower end of the shaft whereby the piston may be adjusted vertically in respect to the channel, substantially as described.

4. In combination, a ring-shaped casing arranged horizontally, a shaft extending vertically and axially of the casing, a coveringplate, a piston connected with said coveringplate and extending into the channel of the ring-shaped casing anda ily-wheel on the shaft, the weight ofthe same tending to keep the covering-plate bearing upon its seat to keep the annularchannelclosed,substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM FORD STANLEY.

Witnesses:

HENRY THOMAS TULLocK, WALTER JAMES SKERTEN. 

